Hrithik Roshan: “‘Guzaarish’ Does Not Take A Stand On Mercy Killing”

A quadriplegic magician in a fantasy world? Guzaarish sounds like another typical Sanjay Leela Bhansali film with Hrithik Roshan playing the bearded, handsome magician living his life in a wheelchair and Aishwarya Rai as the married nurse who falls for him. But looks like the ‘Guzaarish’ deals with deeper issues than just magic, song and dance.

On being asked about the film’s stance on mercy killing, Hrithik Roshan says, “It’s not taking a stand. It’s the story of an individual: Ethan.”

Hrithik plays Ethan Mascarenhas, a magician suffering from limb paralysis, while Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is Sophie D’souza, his nurse and caretaker in the film. Hrithik elaborates, “The film is not about mercy killing, it’s about the strength of a quadriplegic who lived for 14 years without being depressed. He lived a full life: he wrote books, he got the president’s medal, he gave sermons. You have to look at mercy killing from the point of view f the character. As long as he had his health, he was proudly living his life. But when he found out that his body was going; his liver, kidney, lungs were failing he asks doctors whether they can save him…He doesn’t want to watch the curtains come down. He wants to go while the applause is still there. He doesn’t want to go a vegetable.”